NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County man made his initial appearance today after his arrest in North Carolina on drug charges, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Federal officials said Mr. Lester Hicks, a/k/a “Mayhem,” 29, of Newark, is charged by complaint with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute heroin.
He made his initial court appearance today by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On March 8, 2020, law enforcement officers with the Essex County Sheriff's Office were patrolling around Clinton and Avon avenues in Newark when they observed a vehicle run a red light.
The officers stopped the vehicle, in which Hicks was a passenger. They determined there was an active warrant for Hicks’ arrest.
A search incident to his arrest recovered 78 glassine envelopes of heroin and $121 in cash. Twenty-eight of the envelopes were stamped “Terminator” in red ink, and 50 of the envelopes were stamped “G” in red ink.
Hicks was charged, processed, and released with a summons to return to court.
That same day, he was allegedly involved in a shooting near Martin Luther King Boulevard in Newark. The shooting was recorded on video and Hicks was identified as one of the shooters.
After agreeing to self-surrender, he traveled instead to North Carolina, where agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested him. Hicks had a sawed-off shotgun in his possession when arrested.
The drug trafficking offense carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.